Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines said yesterday the Visayas grids are expected to lose another 30 megawatts of power following the shutdown of two units of the Cebu Diesel Plant and one unit of Cebu Thermal Plant, both of Salcon Power Corporation.

Malacañang on Wednesday said it was still awaiting word on whether President Macapagal-Arroyo will adopt a recommendation by the National Disaster Coordinating Council for her to declare a state of calamity in Mindanao so that the government could plug the power crisis there.

LAWYER Rico Rey "Koko" Holganza yesterday denied he amassed ill-gotten wealth while working as chief of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) Port of Cebu.

Businessman Hans Ernest Tan Aparice III has asked the anti-graft office to probe Holganza, a former city councilor turned customs official, accusing him of living a lifestyle impossible to sustain with a government worker's pay.

Aparice attached pictures of Holganza's supposed mansion and a three-story building, both in Cebu City, in his letter complaint submitted Tuesday.

He pointed out how Holganza's Statement of Assets and Liabilities places his monthly income at P14,000. He asked that the anti-graft probers go and visit his two properties.

Aparice also questioned Holganza's status as head of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS), a unit Holganza has led for three years, while allegedly not being an organic member of the organization.

Holganza believes Aparice is a fictitious person and a pseudonym of those who want to destroy his reputation.

While Aparice alleged in his affidavit that he has a trucking and importing business, he is not in the list of the Cebu Truckers Association nor in the records of the Port of Cebu as an importer.

"If this Aparice is really non-existing and his unfounded accusation will be published in the newspaper, it will bring injustice not only to me but my entire family. This is a case of character assassination," Holganza said.

Holganza explained that while it is true that he has a residential building on Macopa St., Barangay Basak, Cebu City, this was constructed in 1997 and 1998 or before he joined BOC.

He said the property in Bantayan is owned by the entire Holganza family.

"As you very well know, my late mother and the family owned more than 100 hectares of land in Bantayan. That's not a secret. Is it a sin to inherit properties from my deceased mother?" Holganza said.

On the alleged mansion in Sto. Niño Village, Holganza said he has no idea about it.

"I don't own such property. I live simply and I have done nothing wrong in public service," said Holganza, a one-time number one councilor of Cebu City. He also ran as congressman but lost in the 1998 elections.

Holganza is the son of Ribomapil Holganza Sr., who was imprisoned during Martial Law.

Holganza, who was in Manila, said he doesn't know the alleged complainant, who only gave Subangdaku, Mandaue City as his address.

"Subangdaku is too big to trace if this Aparice really exists. I hope the Office of the Ombudsman will look if this person is real before responding to the unfounded accusation," Holganza said.

He also appealed to the media to spare him from black propaganda of unscrupulous persons because he has a family reputation to protect.

"Anybody can accuse anybody. Even if the case will be dismissed, of which I'm sure, as these are lies, the damage has been done by mere publication of the false accusation," Holganza said.

Aparice, who pointed out that Holganza joined the customs bureau as a legal officer, said CIIS officials are wondering why the official heads the department.

"The issues create a great void insofar as public service is concerned, with several 'organic members' of the CIIS feeling demoralized and openly saddened," Aparice claimed.

The Regional Trial Court has issued a 20-day non-extendible temporary restraining order against the Commission on Elections (Comelec) enjoining the poll body from proceeding with the scheduled plebiscite on Saturday for the creation of a new barangay out of Guadalupe.

After hearing the arguments of both parties yesterday during the hearing of the civil case for prohibition filed by Labangon barangay councilman Victor Miñoza Buendia against the Comelec, RTC Branch 58 Judge Gabriel Ingles found the petition to be meritorious.

"The petitioner has established that he will suffer an irreparable injury if the subject plebiscite will be allowed to proceed as scheduled on March 13, 2010," Ingles said.

In granting the temporary restraining order Ingles said he wanted to protect the basic right to suffrage of the petitioner and the residents of Rosalina Village, who will be disenfranchised if the plebiscite will push through as scheduled without resolving the case with finality first.

South district election officer Edwin Cadungog admitted before the court yesterday that residents of Rosalina Village had been allowed to register as voters of either barangay Labangon or Guadalupe.

According to Ingles, this is an indication that even the Comelec is not certain to which particular barangay the village belongs, Labangon or Guadalupe.

Cadungog also said that residents of Rosalina Village, who are registered voters of Labangon will not be allowed to participate in the plebiscite because only qualified voters of Guadalupe can vote under the law.

According to Cadungog, there was a problem in the crafting of the law creating the new barangay because the boundary was not properly set.

"Wa maayo og plantsa ang balaud anang dapita," Cadungog said.

Ingles said that this means that the village can be made part of the new Barangay Banawa-Ingles without a prior determination of whether it is part of Labangon or Guadalupe and also disenfranchising some of the voters including the complainant.

Ingles said this is in violation of Section 10 Article X of the Constitution which states that, "No barangay may be created, or divided, merged, abolished or its boundary substantially altered except in accordance with the criteria established in the local government code and subject to approval by a majority of the votes cast in a plebiscite in the political unit directly affected."

Lawyer Julius Ceasar Entise, Buendia's legal counsel, argued that Labangon is directly affected by the creation of the new barangay because one of its sitios is being included in the Republic Act 9905 creating the Barangay Banawa-Ingles out of Guadalupe.

Entise said it is clearly a violation of the constitutional right of his client and the other residents of Rosalina Village who are registered in Labangon because they will not be given the chance to participate if the plebiscite will push through.

Cadungog said they will adhere to the court decision even if the preparation was already set for the conduct of the plebiscite.

The officials of the United Banawa-Englis Association Incorporated, who are pushing for the creation of the new barangay, were disappointed by the development.

Jeffrey Cartilla, one of the vice presidents of the organization, said they were very much disappointed by the court ruling considering that they have long been working for it.

Cartilla said they were holding an emergency meeting last night to plan their legal move. He said among the options is to provide documents to the court showing that original map of the barangay which allegedly include Rosalina Village.

It was learned yesterday that aside from Rosalina Village there are two other sitios included in the law to be part of the new barangay that are currently part of Labangon. These are the Santa Ana and the Paseo de San Ramon in Banawa.

Buendia, the number one councilman of Labangon, earlier filed a petition for prohibition with prayer for TRO and writ of preliminary injunction against the Comelec to stop the plebiscite.

Buendia claimed that he will be disenfranchised because he is not a registered voter of Guadalupe and he might also lose his position in Labangon.

The court has scheduled the hearing of the application for writ of preliminary injunction on March 16, 19, 23 and 26 all at 2:00 o'clock in the afternoon.

Buendia said that he is not for or against the split of Guadalupe, all he wants is clarification since not only would he be affected but also the residents.

Buendia said that most residentsof the around 42 houses in Rosalina Village are registered in barangay Guadalupe.

Buendia also clarified that there is no one behind his move to complain against the Comelec, which would delay the plebiscite.

Both Osmeña and Faelnar said the people should respect the court's decision.

Osmeña said "It's a legal issue that I think should be left to the lawyers and the courts. Congrats, however to the residents of Rosalina Village who are voters of Labangon and find themselves included in the proposed new barangay. Is that democracy? Just asking."

Faelnar also said "Well, we cannot question the wisdom of the court. The court found merit on the injury it might cause to the right of a person asking the temporary restraining order."

Meanwhile, congressional aspirant Jonathan Guardo yesterday asked Osmeña, his main opponent in the city's south district in the May 10 elections, to make a stand whether he is for or against the split.

Osmeña earlier said he will not say whether he is for or against to the proposed creation of the new barangay so it will not influence the voters.

Guardo said Osmeña is just playing safe, because whenever he will say he is for the split, those persons who are against will get mad on him, and vice versa.

For 27 years here in the Archdiocese of Cebu, no one questioned me on my part about a candidate.

He also stressed about his influence during terms of former President Ferdinand Marcos and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, but explained that his recommendation for people to occupy certain offices is only a suggestion.

About 12 million special paper ballots have been printed for the May 10 polls and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) needs to produce 38 million more before the May 10 polls.

But the daily average production of 650,000 ballots remains short of the 793,430 needed daily output to ensure all 50,000 ballots are ready by April 25, Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said Wednesday.

To meet the target, at least a fifth printer needs to be leased as its printer churns out only 162,500 ballots per day, he said.

The new printer will arrive by March 20, said Cesar Flores, president for Asia-Pacific of Smartmatic-Total Information Management.

"We are getting a fifth printer to increase the printing output and have all ballots ready for shipment by April 25," Larrazabal said, adding, "We are also considering a sixth printer to augment the current capacity."

"If we have printed the ballots too close to the April (25) deadline, we could ship them by air instead of land to speedup deployment," he said.

No additional cost will be incurred by the Comelec for getting additional printers as rental cost remains within the P7.2 billion automation deal with technology partner Smartmatic, said Flores.

Over the weekend, Kodak personnel from the US arrived at the National Printing Office to calibrate its machines and increase printing output, Larrazabal said.

An international electoral watchdog is coming over to witness the country's first automated elections, and said the success of the polls could herald the coming of automated elections in other parts of Asia.

(UPDATE) President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is "deeply committed to smooth transition to a new government" and is counting on the Armed Forces of the Philippines "to help us prove that our democracy works for the future of our nation's children."

Arroyo made this assurance Wednesday at the formal turnover ceremony of the AFP where newly appointed chief Lieutenant General Delfin Bangit took over from General Victor Ibrado who retired today.

"We remain deeply committed to smooth transition to a new government," Arroyo said in her speech, maintaining that she made the right decision in choosing Bangit.

"We can count on the AFP to help us prove that our democracy works for the future of our nation's children," she said, referring to the national polls on May 10 that will pave the way for a new president.

"The people come first. Our accomplishments and progress to date must be passed on to new leaders to continue the forward march of progress," she said.

Arroyo also said that there should a concrete plan to attain development.

"We can't put food on the table with just hope. We need detailed plan of action... and turn them into tangible results," Arroyo said.

Arroyo's comments follow months of accusations from opposition politicians and other critics that she is seeking a way to stay in power after her term ends, even though she is required by the Constitution to step down.

Critics say Arroyo could secretly be plotting to derail the national elections, then maneuver to remain president amid the ensuing chaos.

Arroyo has also taken the unprecedented step of running for a House of Representatives seat in the May elections.

Her critics have alleged she may be aiming to become Speaker, giving her a platform to orchestrate a change of Constitution that would allow her to become the nation's first prime minister.

Lieutenant General Delfin Bangit will not get any support from the head of the Philippine National Police should the newly designated military chief help ensure President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's hold on power.

(UPDATE 2) Lieutenant General Delfin Bangit, the newly appointed military chief, said Wednesday that he has not received "illegal orders" from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and vowed that he would not allow himself to be used for partisan politics.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has urged government employees and security forces with poll duties on May 10 to register for local absentee voting after the poll body moved to March 15 the deadline for filing of applications, an official said Wednesday.

Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said government employees and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police rendering election duties can vote ahead, between April 24 to 26.

As of last week, the Comelec has received only 6,000 applications for local absentee voting compared to over 50,000 applications for the 2007 polls. About 40,000 cast their ballots then.

Applicants can file their application to the Comelec committee on local absentee voting or CLAV. The CLAV will then verify and submit the list of approved applications to concerned city or municipal election officers not later than April 20.

Under Republic Act 7166 and Executive Order 157, local absentee voters are only allowed to vote for national candidates.

(Updated 7:49 PM) Days after her running mate was alleged to have tried to buy out other presidential contenders, Sen. Loren Legarda on Wednesday claimed her fiercest opponent in the vice presidential derby made overtures to withdraw her electoral bid.

The antigraft court Sandiganbayan is hoping to turn over to the Bureau of Treasury (BTR) next week former president Joseph Estrada's P143-million "Boracay Mansion" after no buyer showed up when it was auctioned more than a month ago.

The relatives of the slain journalists in Maguindanao on Wednesday filed administrative charges before the National Police Commission against 62 policemen for their alleged involvement in the massacre of 57 people last November.

Filipinos in the provinces need not go to Manila to get a passport as passport services are available in the 18 regional consular offices nationwide, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday.

DFA said seven such offices in the cities of Butuan, Bacolod, Batangas, Baguio, Puerto Princesa, General Santos, and Cotabato were opened in the last two years.

The other regional consular offices are in the cities of San Fernando in La Union, Tuguegarao, San Fernando in Pampanga, Lucena, Legaspi, Iloilo, Cebu, Tacloban, Zamboanga, Cagayan De Oro, and Davao.

Filipinos "only have to go to the DFA regional office nearest to them and avail of the same fast and efficient services," Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said.

"We are also bringing consular services closer to our Filipino people through the fielding of mobile passport services, which are regularly being undertaken in cities and municipalities around the country and Metro Manila," he added.

In the last two months alone, January to February 2010, the DFA Office of Consular Affairs conducted 34 mobile passport services which served around 14,000 passport applicants throughout the Philippines.

The DFA recently opened to the public the new Consular building located in Bradco and Macapagal Avenues in Aseana Business Park, near the Mall of Asia. The new facility is the home of the ePassport, electronic authentication system, electronic visa system, and digitalized consular records system.

Meanwhile, the DFA reminds passport applicants to avail of the appointment system to ensure quick and comfortable service. Applicants can check the passport requirements and secure an appointment by logging in at passport website or calling hotline (02) 737-1000. They may also call the DFA helplines at telephone numbers (02) 831-8971, (02) 551-4437, (02) 551-4402, (02) 834-4855 and (02) 834-4424.

Applicants are no longer required to bring photographs since they will have their pictures taken using ePassport data-capturing machines.

Only those with confirmed appointments will be accommodated at the new facility. No escorts are allowed to accompany the applicants inside the premises at this time.

The Cebu City government has already sent a letter to Southwestern University (SWU) telling the school officials to pay its P34.7 million unpaid tax obligations from 2000 to 2007 or the city will be compelled to auction its properties.

CANBERRA—Indonesia's president Wednesday confirmed the killing by police of a suspected Bali bombing mastermind and, in a historic speech to Australia's parliament, vowed to hunt down Islamist extremists.

MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao and his trainer, Freddie Roach, believe that the Filipino boxer's speed will compensate for his "lack of size" when he goes up against the bigger Joshua Clottey of Ghana on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

MANILA, Philippines – Four-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach made it clear that he does not want Manny Pacquiao to end up just like him after retirement. That is why he wants the 7-division boxing champion to leave the sport while he is still on top of his game.

The World Boxing Council has ordered a rematch between Filipino champion Rodel Mayol and Mexican Omar Nino Romero in the aftermath of the technical draw result when the two boxers fought last February 27 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

MANILA, Philippines – The fight continues for fallen boxer Z "the Dream" Oliveros Gorres. He will not be able to return to the ring, which is why he and his wife, Datches, have turned to starting their soap and detergent business.

Celebrity talk show host Kris Aquino, for the first time in the official campaign period, joined her brother, Liberal Party candidate Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III here Wednesday – and her appearance made an immediate impact as she was mobbed when she arrived at the airport.

ZAMBOANGA CITY-Thousands of supporters, some of them clad in yellow, went wild as showbiz celebrity Kris Aquino took the stage Wednesday night at the Joaquin F. Enriquez sports complex in this famed port city of the South.

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Kris Aquino admitted on Wednesday that they are worried about the result of the recent survey which puts Senator Manny Villar close to her brother, Liberal Party's presidential bet Senator Noynoy Aquino.